PlayStation has broken a six-day silence following its controversial announcement that physical game discs will be discontinued starting in 2028, with the company's official X account posting a video promoting a new wireless arcade fight stick. The move back to social media was not met with the expected engagement, instead drawing immediate criticism and what many users perceived as mockery.
The company's decision to end physical media for its consoles, making the PlayStation 6 the first digital-only machine, has ignited significant backlash across social media platforms, even from individuals not typically involved in gaming controversies. A gaming preservation advocate account, Does it Play, responded to the fight stick promotion by calling it "spineless corpo." Other users expressed similar sentiments, with comments like "Physical forever you cowards" and "Wireless fight stick? More like spineless corpo," directly criticizing Sony's strategic shift.
Within an hour of its release, the fight stick video garnered over 12,000 negative comments and nearly 4,000 quote-tweets, predominantly expressing anger. Fans voiced their disappointment, with one user stating, "As was evident, Playstation has followed the strategy of acting as if nothing had happened. They think we’re going to forget it easily, but we can’t allow that. They’re trying to kill physical games with lies and using us players as an excuse. It’s shameful."
This sentiment is reflected in a petition initiated by PNP Games CEO Jade Pearce, which has already surpassed 160,000 signatures. Some dedicated PlayStation fans are reportedly considering foregoing the PS6 entirely or switching to PC gaming, citing the latter's open platform and greater choice, including DRM-free options. This widespread criticism also comes in the wake of Sony recently removing digital movie purchases from customer accounts due to lapsed license agreements, further fueling concerns about digital ownership.
While Sony did reverse its decision to end PS3 and Vita storefronts in the past, confidence is lower this time around, with some believing the company will proceed with its digital-only future. Reports indicate that at least one factory previously producing PlayStation game discs has already begun retooling its equipment for other products, suggesting a definitive move away from physical media production.